The Art of Living Well: 33 Antidotes: Volume Ii

By Erogies "Roe" Grigley Jr.

Pastor, author, and mentor Erogies “Roe” Grigley Jr. is back to continue guiding readers on a journey to the art of living well. This book is an extension of the treasures of his first thirty-three antidotes, completing all sixty-six, derived from the sixty-six Books of the Bible.

Erogies’s personal experiences have led him through life’s challenges and developing relationships, all while dependent on the presence of the Lord and the stewardship of God’s principles. The Art of Living Well series is designed to lead you into a prayer life filled with conversations with God, as you glean knowledge and wisdom for purpose and direction.

As you read this book, you will discover the tools that create a thirst for God. If you embrace the principles in both volumes, you will live a glorious life that is centered on a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father. Through Christ, you can reach your promised destiny, which is to be with Jesus in one of the many mansions of His kingdom!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Jan 31, 2023
• ISBN: 9781665736411

Erogies "Roe" Grigley Jr.

Erogies "Roe" Grigley Jr. is co-pastor of The Alabaster House and retired Division Director, Department of Homeland Security. Retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel, a decorated soldier of 30-years of active military service.

Book preview

THE ART

of

LIVING

Well

33 ANTIDOTES

VOLUME II

EROGIES ROE

GRIGLEY JR.

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Copyright © 2023 Erogies Roe Grigley Jr.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

Archway Publishing

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™ All rights reserved.

Cover design by Stanley Davis of MannMade Creative Consulting, LLC.

ISBN: 978-1-6657-3640-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6657-3639-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6657-3641-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021910061

Archway Publishing rev. date: 01/18/2023

DEDICATION

Valerie Denise Saunders Grigley, the love of my life, the light of my moon, the dew of my mornings, the rising of my sun, and the bond of the union of our hearts, minds, spirits, bodies, and souls. I give thanks to this stalwart woman in my life.

My wonderful, strong, and loving mother, Jannie Mae Grigley Harden.

My loving, resilient, and wise grandmother, Lucy Terrell Bryant.

My loving visionary and encouraging mother-in-law, Ida Mae Saunders.

My just, compassionate, loving, and spirit-filled grandmother, Pauline Walker Brown.

My grand, tough, loving, and unifying grandmother, Odessa Grigley.

To God, who made me special and in His likeness. It is His will to do great things for His people and for His glory.

To Jesus Christ, my Lord and King, who inspired and blessed me to accomplish many wonders and who will help thousands of souls with this second inspirational book.

CONTENTS

Preface

Acknowledgments

Thoughts for Reasoning

Antidote 1: Discover God’s Purpose and Your Passion

Antidote 2: Dream Your Vision, and Write It Plain

Antidote 3: Family Is Essential to Life Next to Self in Christ

Antidote 4: Get on the Path of Righteousness to Live in God’s Will

Antidote 5: Limit Your Friends

Antidote 6: Do Not Let a Person’s Self-Inflicted Emergencies Invade Your Life

Antidote 7: Become a Visionary of Excellence

Antidote 8: Become an Influential Person

Antidote 9: Give to God, and Watch Him Reward You

Antidote 10: Never Play Mental Gymnastics

Antidote 11: Develop Multiple Assets and Streams of Income

Antidote 12: Put Your Affairs in Order, for the Storms and Famine Will Come

Antidote 13: Take Care of Yourself and Serve Others

Antidote 14: Embrace Humility and Selflessness

Antidote 15: Success Starts with a First Step

Antidote 16: Live by an Ethos That Defines You

Antidote 17: Listen 80 Percent, Observe 10 Percent, and Talk 10 Percent of the Time

Antidote 18: Principle-Centered People Live above the Selfish-Centered World

Antidote 19: People Think to Talk or They Talk to Think

Antidote 20: See Life from the Treetops, Not from the Blades of Grass

Antidote 21: Betrayal Always Leaves Trails and Clues

Antidote 22: Despair Is Spiritual Not Physical

Antidote 23: Men and Women Go on Finite Dates

Antidote 24: Hearts Meet When True Courtship Is Shared

Antidote 25: Courtships Are of Honorable Men and Virtuous Women

Antidote 26: Embrace the Sun Rising and Setting on Your Life

Antidote 27: A Union Is between Husband, Wife, and God

Antidote 28: Husbands, Be Kind and Faithful to Your Queens

Antidote 29: Wives, Be Loyal to Your Kings

Antidote 30: Equip Your Children for God’s Journey

Antidote 31: Religion Is Not an Art

Antidote 32: Be Certain of Divine Salvation

Antidote 33: The Art of Living Well Comes from Embracing Spiritual Enlightenment

Completion and a New Beginning

Thankfulness and Gratefulness

Prayer

Forever Your Friend

About the Author

PREFACE

The Art of Living Well: 33 Antidotes Volume 2 begins with the Creator and Source and ends with you in spirit and truth. This second book is a rarity of thirty-three more antidote treasures, for a total of sixty-six antidotes gleaned from the sixty-six books of the Bible.

The antidotes are one of the highest reading possessions in centuries to illuminate and stir people in thought and conversations, and to assess their living, purpose, direction, and truth. As the author, my highest aim is to help the reader grasp the relationship between self, humanity, and divinity. It is my prayer that God intertwines the reader’s heart, spirit, and soul with the spirit of the Lord, and blesses the reader with natural and supernatural manifestations. Combined, the two books of sixty-six antidotes are purposed to gently nudge the reader into conversation and in-depth rumination with self and other confidants.

If you embrace the principles in both volumes, you will live a glorious and expected life that is centered on a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16–17). As you read this book, you will discover the tools that create a thirst for God.

The intent of this book is to stir a range of emotions and thoughts with regard to your purpose in life, where you are in life, and where you are headed, and the path you should take to increase your potential for an abundant life. You are encouraged to reflect on each antidote for enlightenment and to embrace a personal relationship with the Source and Creator.

This book is targeted for ages twenty-one to forty. Through Christ, you can reach your promised destiny, which is to be with Jesus in one of the many mansions in His kingdom! I knew the societal risk I would take once the manuscripts began to develop, with a continuous recognition and gratefulness to the Lord for choosing me to convey such a profound message to humanity in plain conversations. This book is a forged master work of enlightenment and inner-being art, which you will treasure as a book that may help save, redefine, recalibrate, and reinvent your life. Because the words are God-inspired, The Art of Living Well can defend itself against any challenger, naysayer, or skeptic. If you have not done so already, you are strongly encouraged to read Volume I, which will change your life forever.

In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Therefore, let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God (Hebrews 5:12–14, 6:1).

Volumes 1 and 2 includes:

• thirty-three antidotes gleaned from the Bible, life experiences, and wise sage counselors to help you meditate and converse upon for days and years to come;

• thirty-three life challenges to create inspiration and center on new truths;

• thirty-three special quotes under each antidote to undergird the life challenge topic for foundational meditation and life application;

• thirty-three expository, prose, and philosophy antidotes of substance that create a unique relationship and experience with the reader and author;

• and varied scriptures for each antidote to undergird and give foundation to the wisdoms.

Refer to The Art of Living Well with your prayer life and Bible readings. The Lord will bless this book with your willingness to be a part of something cosmically and spiritually special. He will give you clarity, insight, and wisdom.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Unless otherwise indicated, scripture quotations in this book are from the Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblical, Inc. ® Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc. ® All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation® (NLT)®, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation are used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, IL 60188. ® All rights reserved.

Special Thanks to My Contributors

Valerie Saunders Grigley

Erin Mone’t Grigley Butler

Janet Floyd, PhD

Without your honesty, candor, and substantive input, this book would be incomplete and not fulfill the reader as intended. Thank you!

THOUGHTS FOR REASONING

Who gives you love?

Who receives your love?

To whom are you accountable?

What is God’s purpose for your life?

Do you live for self or for purpose?

What cause are you living for?

Are you enjoying your journey?

Do you know your final destiny?

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. (John 1:1–4)

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ANTIDOTE 1

DISCOVER GOD’S PURPOSE AND YOUR PASSION

Expressions of life come from the search for purpose and to make a difference.

What is your passion in life? Do you believe your passion comes from God and is worth living and dying for? Your passion is what moves you into action. Anyone who does not live with passion has yet to live. To live is to find something greater than yourself and more important than emotions. Yes, there can be fullness in many pursuits, but they should all be based on moments of spiritual enlightenment. These moments will illuminate your passion and help you perfect your talents, which are expressions given to you by the Creator and Source.

Passion propels you to discover the yearning within you. This yearning is your purpose. Most times, you will not find your purpose; rather, your purpose will find you. This is when you recognize your talents in making others and situations better. As you hone your purpose and enjoy doing the same activity every day, your purpose will be rekindled, and your passion will burn brilliantly. This expression comes from searching for life and liberties, and from a love for making a difference in life. The person who will not contribute to humanity for divinity’s sake is a person whose life is not worth living or knowing.

You possess the spiritual power to avail as your greatest friend or to discover your worst enemy, who may share the same residence. The residence of these two foes weighs three pounds, is six inches in diameter, and is separated by two hemispheres. It is called the brain. To exceed cognitive, spiritual powers is foreign. Why? Because most people do not understand spiritual access.

You must accept your purpose for a higher conscience and greater cause to do greater good. Do so without questioning. You must find the will of Christ for your life and embrace those wonderful, yet challenging things that move you to rise in the morning. You must want to make a difference in yourself, your family, and the community, with God’s kingdom being the ultimate focus for your passions and works. When you find the one thing that becomes a restless night if ignored, then you will approach this newfound flame with zeal. This is your passion merging with your purpose. When you know your calling in Christ, you will know His purpose for your life, which is the passion you seek. Seek Christ first. Ask Him to direct your path to the place of success, and watch the doors of opportunity open.

In your walk with Christ, you can expect to fall in this world. But when you fall, God will renew your strength. You will get up again. He will give you greater focus to accomplish that which was purposed in your heart, mind, and spirit. He will always make a way for the righteous and faithful to find success. Not only will He make a way in works,